Despite tough economic times, bargains still abound in the GPS market. In particular, Nextar's entry-level, 3.5-inch screen M3-03 is a solid navigation value. Much like its 4.3-inch-screen big cousin, the Nextar Q4, the M3-03 offers more features than you'd expect given its rock-bottom price ($129 list).

At 3 by 3.9 by 0.9 inches (HWD), the 6.1-ounce M3-03 is significantly thicker than most GPS units on the market. The 3.5-inch display features a standard 320-by-240-pixel resolution, and the included 1GB SD card contains Navteq maps for all 50 states (but not Canada), and a points-of-interest (POI) database with 1.6 million entries, a fairly standard complement in this price range. You also get a basic photo viewer and music player in the bargain.

In the box, you get AC and auto power adapters, a padded carrying case, and a stylus. The included mounting bracket features a single ball and socket with a lock nut. While this is a common configuration, it doesn't allow for a lot of flexibility. Still, when it was mounted on my windshield, I was able to adjust the device so it was level.

This review is actually about two devices: The M3-03 you want and the one you don't. My initial review unit, which I received several months ago, was running Intellinav software version 1.2.3.2 with a copyright of 20012008. Though the packaging indicated that the device supported text-to-speech (TTS), on my road tests I discovered that the feature was missing.

Nextar sent me a replacement unit loaded with Intellinav version 3.4.1.2, as well as a bunch of additional features including a trip computer; support for additional languages (Chinese, Korean, and Japanese, in addition to the original English, French, and Spanish); safety controls, such as a school-zone alert and an emergency alert that provides quick access to nearby police and hospitals; and even an almanac with information about sunrise, sunset, and moon phases. And this time around, I got TTS functionality.

Though the packaging for my review unit didn't include a manufacturing date, Nextar confirmed that products shipped to retail stores have a serial number and the date of manufacture on the rear of the package. You'll want a box that has a 2009 date, but if you buy online you'll have to roll the dice, since you can't check the packaging first. Just be sure to verify the site's return policy before you buy. Of course, this problem will solve itself as the existing inventory with old software is flushed out of the distribution channels.

With its intuitively designed menu system, the M3-03 is a breeze to navigate. Most common functions are no more than a couple of taps away. After powering up the M3-03, you land at a main screen that displays icons for Music, Photos, Navigation, and Settings. The navigation application is based on Netropa's OEM navigation software and uses an interface very similar to what I've also seen on the Averatec Voya 320 and 350 as well as the Netropa Intellinav One and Intellinav 3.

Under Navigation, you'll find icons for Destination, Settings, Shortcuts (to six popular POI categories and Home), Information, Parked Car Locator, and Itinerary. Itinerary lets you manage multisegment tripsa welcome feature you almost never find on devices in this price range. In the Settings menu, route options include quickest, shortest, those with major or local roads, and exclusions for routes that entail, say, ferries or toll roads.

In driving mode, your current street is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The direction icon toggles the view between north up and track up in either the 2D or 3D mode. Your current speed and the time are displayed across the bottom of the screen. When you're in active navigation mode, the street name of your next turn is shown at the top of the screen, along with the distance to the turn and the arrow showing the direction of it. Data fields down below show your ETA, remaining time, distance to destination, and current speed. To designate a destination, you can enter an address, an intersection, a city center, or a POI on the alphabetic keyboard, or choose from recent places or favorites that you designate.

POI search options are fairly limited. The main POI menu has eight top-level categories, some of which contain subcategories. You have options to list all or to list by city, distance, or alphabetically. You can also limit your search to within 5, 10, or 25 miles. But you can't search for POIs near a destination, along a route, or near a specific address.

On the road, the M3-03 gave solid directions that were similar to those of other Navteq-based devices. Prompts were both clear and quick.

If you can live with a smallish 3.5-inch screen and can be sure you're getting the latest software, the Nextar M3-03 is an affordable, feature-rich navigator that offers an exceptional value and is on a par with the same-screen-size TomTom One 130-S, which at $250 is almost twice the price.

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